


To Bloom

by jessaverant



Series: The Maheswaran Universe Family [1]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Crystal Gem Family shenanigans, F/M, Family Fluff, Gen, I guess technically the baby is an OC, Lion acting as a big brother, Post-Series, Technically ten years later, new baby fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-03
Updated: 2017-12-03
Packaged: 2019-02-09 20:46:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12896472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jessaverant/pseuds/jessaverant
Summary: Steven and Connie bring their newborn baby to the beach house to meet their extended alien refugee family. Simple fluff.





	To Bloom

As of late, the house had been, more often than not, relatively quiet. Sitting on the edge of the ocean as it were, it was never truly _silent_ , but the light rustle of wind around the cliff edges mixed with the hush of waves made for a contrast to what the house was used to.

Today, however, was different. It was near dusk, and the house was alive with activity. The five inhabitants had busied themselves with rudimentary tidying and a _lot_ of anxious pacing since midday. It was _finally_ close to time for their visitors to arrive, and the waiting appeared to be slowly wearing them in.

"I thought they were going to be here soon?" Amethyst complained from her place on the kitchen counter, arms outstretched with a tablet in hand. She was lying on her belly, blowing her hair idly out of her eyes while playing some game on the device. Pearl, who was standing by the door, hand to her chin, shot Amethyst a look.

"I'm sure they will be here soon, they may have just... hit some traffic, is all," she replied, although her rigid posture betrayed her anxiety. She glanced at the clock on the microwave once more, then looked over to the window nook, where Peridot had her face pressed flat against the window. "Any sign of them?"

"Negative," Peridot muttered, never taking her eyes from the beach. The remaining sunlight had all but vanished from the wispy clouds hanging over the Atlantic, casting the last hues of pinks and purples into the distance. Pearl turned to her right to peer at Garnet, who was sitting with one leg over the other on the couch, one arm on the armrest, with an uncharacteristic grin painting her face. Lapis Lazuli was beside her, legs pulled into her lap, studying a book intensely from the small pile that had formed on the coffee table seemingly overnight.

"Are you absolutely _sure_ that nothing is wrong?" Pearl asked for the hundredth time, although it came out more as a whine than a question. Garnet turned her grin from the book pile to Pearl, and flexed her fingers.

"I'm sure," she said, her voice warbling with excitement. "They should be here any second now." She glanced to her left to watch Lapis turn the book sideways, squinting. "Learning a lot, I see."

"I'm not sure," Lapis admitted, eyebrows drawn together. "It's all very--"

"OHMYSTARSTHEY'REHEREEVERYONE!" Peridot screeched as she peeled back from the window with wide eyes. Outside, a modest dark blue SUV peeled onto the beach, and nested lightly at the base of the house. The room froze.

Amethyst leapt from the counter, tossing the tablet aside, and ran up to Peridot, standing behind her on the nook cushion, hands plastered to the glass.

"It _is_ them!" she confirmed, and the rest of the Crystal Gems jumped to their feet, the nervous energy doubling instantly. A laugh like tinkling bells rolled through the air as the car's occupants disembarked, and Pearl immediately clung to the closest thing to her (which happened to be Garnet's arm) in excitement.

"They're coming up the stairs!" Peridot announced, and she sprang out from her perch to grab the door. As she did so, the bell-like laugh sounded again as someone bounded up the stairs to greet her.

"Hello, everyone!" Steven said in a booming voice, laughing as Peridot attached herself to his arm. A large bag hung from his shoulder, nearly bursting with items. "I've missed you too, Dot."

"We've been waiting for you!" Peridot cried, and she yelped as Lion bounded into the house from behind Steven. He sat at attention between Pearl and Lapis, who exchanged a confused and worried glance before turning to the suddenly six-foot-ten-inches Steven Quartz Universe.

"Don't mind him, he's being overprotective," Steven offered as he entered the house. Peridot had ferried herself to the top of his head, all but hanging from his bushy ponytail of black ringlets.

"Oh, Steven, we're so excited you're here!" Pearl offered, and hugged his middle with all her might. He towered over her now; he towered over all of them, but none of them minded.

"Wait, where's the VIP?" Amethyst asked after also getting a brief hug from Steven. "Where's the star of the show?"

"Right here," came a tired voice from outside. Connie Maheswaran came through the door after Steven, carrying a small bag. Steven immediately took it from her and put down the much larger bag he'd been carrying as well, and laughed heartily as Pearl jumped from him to her in an instant. The bags under her eyes were a vivid blue and her complexion seemed paler than usual, but even her slapdash braid and oversized hoodie couldn't contain the glow she radiated as she accepted the hugs that came to her. "Hi everyone--oof, Pearl, can you--?"

"Oh! Oh, right, sorry," Pearl offered, jumping back after squeezing a bit too hard. Amethyst gave her a pat on the thigh and Garnet placed her hands on her shoulders.

"You did admirably, Connie," Garnet offered, her grin only widening. "A spectacular performance."

"Like I said, the VIP. The Oscar-winner," Amethyst supplied, her grin widening as well. Lapis came up behind Amethyst and leaned her arms on the former's head, eyes wide.

"So, where is she?" Lapis asked, just as a third person entered from behind.

"Right here, with Granddad," Greg Universe announced as he entered, silver hair pulled back into a tight ponytail. He was carrying a car seat from his elbow, which held a very, very small, squishy bundle. He placed the car seat-turned-carrier to the floor, where Lion leaped around the Gems and curled up around it protectively, eyeing the others. The Gems all cautiously knelt to the floor to get a better look.

Inside the very, very small bundle, was a very, very small newborn baby. She was completed swaddled in a pale pink blanket, one hand poking five very, very tiny fingers out, her very small head covered in a very small pink hat. She was snoozing happily, looking impossibly small and fragile in the big carrier. the Gems knelt in silence, eyes wide, staring at the tiny human before them.

"Everyone, we'd like you to meet our baby," Steven said softly, as he sat on the floor of the beach house, just behind Lion’s flank. Connie sat beside him, leaning on his arm, her head against his shoulder. She absently scratched at Lion’s back, and he purred gently, finally relaxing his pose as he laid his head on the floor. Greg pulled a stool from the counter and sat with them, completing the circle that surrounded the baby.

"Why is she so... tiny?" Peridot asked apprehensively, leaning over as far as she could to look at the newborn.

"All human babies are small," Connie offered. "She's a little smaller than normal, but otherwise perfectly fine."

"Can she do anything?" Lapis asked, leaning over where Peridot was crouched on the floor. The baby let out a small cough and continued to snooze.

"Not yet," Steven said. Peridot glanced up, looking at the others, then looked back at Steven in confusion.

"Wait, she can't do _anything?_ Not even talk?"

"Nope," Steven answered, his gaze never rising from the baby. "She can't talk, or walk, or do anything really. She mostly just sleeps." He tentatively lifted his hand and touched her forehead, which was impossibly smooth under his fingertips. "She is kind of into holding things, which is something, I guess."

"Amazing," Pearl breathed, finally breaking her silence. "I still can't believe how tiny new humans are."

"She's so... helpless," Peridot said in disbelief. "How could she survive?"

"That's what we're here for," Connie explained gently. "We'll take care of her. Humans take a long time to mature, so their parents help them out for a bit. It's a common mammal thing, but humans take longer than most due to their big brains." Peridot looked skeptical, but said nothing, just looking back at the baby. "Do you want to hold her, Peridot?"

"What, me?" Peridot sputtered. Her cheeks flushed dully as she looked back down at the helpless infant. "W-why?"

"Sometimes people like to," Greg offered. "She won't hurt you."

"Well, _obviously_ ," Peridot said, and from her left Amethyst nudged her.

"It's not that bad," Amethyst said. "Look, I'll show ya. Can I hold her?"

"Of course," Connie said, and she leaned over to remove the bundle from the carrier. As she did so, she frowned, moving her hands back and forth under the baby's bundle, trying to figure out the best way to lift her. "I mean, I think--"

"Like this," Greg said, standing and walking around to where Connie was kneeling. "Support her head here-- yes, just like that! Perfect." Connie smiled in appreciation and handed the bundle to Amethyst, who tucked the small head into the crook of her arm. Lion had lifted his head Connie’s initial movement, but Steven reassuringly stroked his mane and Lion laid back down, eyes on the Gems but seemingly allowing them to take her. Amethyst watched Lion with concern.

“Is he gonna be like this her whole life?” she asked as she shifted the bundle in her arms. Steven laughed.

“He’s always been protective of Connie, and now he’s just… moved it to her. He’s like her… big brother, kind of?” he said, running his fingers through Lion’s mane. Amethyst narrowed her eyes at Lion but seemed to accept it.

"It's been awhile," Amethyst admitted as she turned her attention to the baby. She looked up at Greg for approval. "Am I doing it right?"

"Yes, that's great, Amethyst," Greg said, and Amethyst smiled down at the little girl. "See, Peridot, it's not that hard." Amethyst beamed to the rest of the group as they crowded around _he_ r now, staring down at the tiny face. Her cheeks were full and her skin was dark, although there was the faintest patina of pink to her cheeks. She had thick eyebrows and a tiny bit of black hair poked out from underneath her hat, already impossibly curly.

"Hey, baby," Amethyst said, a bit louder than she anticipated. Suddenly, the baby opened her eyes, and stared directly at Amethyst's face. Amethyst's eyes widened and she looked up in alarm. "I-I didn't mean to!" she said, moving a bit too quickly. "I--"

"It's okay!" Steven said, grinning.

"Steven used to do that," Garnet said from her position above Amethyst, hands on her hips. "Just open his eyes very suddenly. It used to alarm us then, too. But look, she's fine." the Gem group looked back down at the baby, and it appeared she was unfazed. She had wiggled both her tiny hands from the bundle and had both settled on her blanket, staring up with impossibly huge eyes. 

"Her eyes are so big," Lapis muttered, and she reached a tentative hand out to the child. The baby reflexively grabbed Lapis's index finger, and Lapis let out a small gasp. "And her grip is so _strong_!" Steven and Connie shared a look and a chuckle as the Gems continued to marvel over their joint venture.  Steven snaked an arm around Connie's shoulders and she closed her eyes, relishing in the comfort that Steven provided.

Lapis let the baby release her finger, and Amethyst passed the bundle to Peridot, who stiffened like a board to receiving her.

"You gotta support her head, she can't even hold that up yet," Amethyst said, and Pearl reached out a gentle hand to adjust Peridot's elbow. "Theeeeeere you go. Say hi!" Peridot stared down at the baby, who stared back up, apparently perfectly okay with being handed around to a bunch of strangers. Her eyes were a deep chocolate brown, impossibly large for her face, and perfectly round. Long eyelashes dusted her lids and Peridot suddenly noticed all the small resemblances on this tiny human's face.

"She has Connie's eyes," she said suddenly, never straying from the baby. "And her nose. And Steven's mouth. And Steven's cheeks. And Connie's chin. Wow," she muttered in a whisper. She looked up, eyes impossibly wide herself. "W-what should I do?"

"I know," Steven said suddenly, "try to make her smile. Pull a funny face!" Peridot glanced to the other Crystal Gems, glanced back down, and stuck out her tongue. In one beat, the baby stuck out hers as well.

"Oh, my stars," Peridot muttered, and looked back up again. "This baby is the most perfect thing _on this entire planet._ "

"Well, duh," Amethyst offered, rolling her eyes. "That isn't breaking news."

"She really is," Pearl said, and reached out both arms to Peridot. "May I?" Peridot hesitated, looking back down at the baby. She reached in and touched her face gently, and was surprised at how smooth and soft she was.

"Only for _exactly one minute,_ " Peridot threatened. Connie chuckled as she re-opened her eyes.

"You guys are having the same exact reaction my parents did," she said as Peridot handed the baby over to Pearl. Steven watched quietly as Pearl cuddled her exactly right, arms entwined around the light pink bundle.

"I hope you know you can't give that baby back now," Peridot said as she shot a glance at the couple. "She's ours forever."

"We weren't planning on it," Steven said, his eyes following Pearl. Pearl was, somehow, a natural at this. Steven knew that Pearl wasn't fond of babies - she'd been simultaneously too depressed and too scared to hold Steven when _he_ was just a month old. Of course, she never met any other human babies, either - this was her second one, after Steven himself.

Lapis and Garnet stood behind Pearl, each with a hand on her shoulder, with Amethyst leaning over Pearl's right arm and Peridot crawling on the left. The Crystal Gems all sat in silence, still awed. Pearl was tentatively touching every part of the baby's face - her cheeks, her forehead, her nose, her chin. Each part was equally smooth and soft, as if she weren't even real. The gentle rise and fall of the blanket and the movements of her big eyes showed that she was, of course, real. As Pearl watched the little girl gaze around the room, she realized something.

"Does she have a name?" Pearl asked, looking up at Steven and Connie. The couple shared a glance, then looked Greg, who just smiled.

"Of course she does," Connie said, still leaning against Steven but picking up her head to look at the Gems. She looked back to Steven, who smiled wide at her. "We thought... we thought it would be obvious what her name was." Pearl looked back down at the baby in her arms, who had re-closed her eyes.

"What do you mean, obvious?" Peridot asked, still clinging to Pearl's arm as if moving far from the baby would be a detriment to her. Steven chuckled.

"Well, we had a few names picked out if she were a boy but... there was only ever one name if she were a girl," he responded, and his voice fell as he spoke. He and Connie glanced at one another again, sharing a small, somewhat melancholy smile. The Gems all looked at each other in confusion, save for Garnet, who looked straight ahead. They followed her gaze to the far wall, where a particular portrait still hung—

Oh. _Oh_.

Pearl let her jaw drop a little as the realization hit her like a ton of bricks. She was the first to look back down at the baby, who was wiggling her feet inside her bundle. She could feel the tears well in her eyes, although she somehow managed not to let them fall. Steven and Connie simply laced their fingers together against the floor as they waited for the realization to fully settle in.

"Hello there... _Rose_ ," Pearl said finally, the name coming out just above a whisper. The baby didn't respond; just continued to shift and sleep once more.

"We've been calling her Rosie," Connie explained as she reached out and re-tucked part of the blanket back into the swaddle. "Rose feels too... _adult_ for a baby."

"Rosie," Pearl repeated, hugging the bundle tighter to her chest.

"Her full name is Rose Maheswaran Universe," Steven said, and he reached over to the large bag he'd been carrying earlier to pull out a small folder from the side pocket. "She's officially one month old today, in fact!" He pulled a small piece of paper from the folder and showed it to the Gems. "See?"

"You have a paper about it?" Lapis asked, reaching out to take it. She stood up straight to inspect it, Garnet at her shoulder. "Why?"

"It's a human thing," Greg explained simply. That was enough for Lapis, who ran her fingers over the printed name.

"Oh, and we have this too," Connie said, reaching over Steven to pull more papers from the folders. "There are a lot of weird human traditions based on your birthday. Things like your astrological sign, your birth flower, aura readings -- all sorts of things." She unfolded one of the papers and cleared her throat. "So, since she was born in the beginning of June, she's a Gemini, which is - this constellation right here," she said, leaning forward and showing the paper. "Gemini's are known as being expressive and quick-witted."

"Humans are so strange," Lapis muttered as she looked from the birth certificate to the constellation. She glanced at the pile of books they had left on the coffee table, which were all books about babies that Connie had gotten for the Gems from the library. “Those books didn’t mention that there were _stars_ involved.”

“It’s not really a… scientific thing,” Connie admitted. “It’s for fun.”

"Gems have constellations too," Garnet said, taking the paper and inspecting it. "Old ones." She glanced over the paper, and smiled again. "I see her birth flower is a rose as well."

"Yes," Connie said as Pearl went to put Rosie back into the carrier. "Very convenient. Also, her birthstone is... a pearl," Connie continued, smiling at Pearl. Pearl jerked her head up in surprise.

"That's... a thing?" she said slowly. "A birthstone?"

"They don't mean much, I don't think," Steven said. "Probably just an excuse to sell more jewelry. But it's true. June is the month of the pearl." Pearl brought one hand to her lips and smiled. The other Gems looked back at Steven in surprise.

"Wait - is this a thing that every month has?" Amethyst asked. "Really?"

"Yeah, of course," Connie answered as she stood up. Her legs were starting to cramp from being huddled on the floor for so long. "I don't remember every month, but I know mine is topaz. And Steven's is actually _peridot,_ I think. Right? August?" Connie turned to Steven, who shrugged.

 _"Really?"_   Peridot squealed, and her entire face lit up in joy. She began hopping from one foot to the other in excitement. “Steven, why didn’t you ever tell me?”

“I didn’t actually know until recently,” Steven admitted, shrugging. “Although if Rosie had been born when she was due, she’d have been born around now, and her birthstone would be… something else?”

“A ruby,” Connie supplied, glancing at Garnet. “Rubies for July.” Garnet said nothing, and just put her hand on her hip and smiled. Steven slowly got to his feet, prompting Lion to jump to his and sit placidly beside the carrier, tail swinging back and forth.

At Lion’s side, Pearl was still kneeling on the floor, watching Rosie with great interest. Lapis handed the papers back to Connie as both Garnet and Amethyst stood. It seemed their time together with the baby was coming to an end.

"Wait, why is everyone getting up?" Peridot asked as Greg put the stool away. "You just got here! Are you leaving already?!" She had stopped hopping excitedly and was frowning deeply instead, causing the other Gems to chuckle.

"We just got her from the hospital," Steven said, although he couldn't hide the disappointment from his voice. "We haven't even been home with her yet. She's probably as tired as we are."

"I'm probably even more tired than she is," Connie admitted, trying to burrow further into the hoodie. " _I'm_ the one who needs to get some rest. But we knew we couldn't go home without introducing her to her extended family first." At that, Steven bent down to pick up the carrier, only to finally notice Pearl was still kneeling on the floor. She had a thoughtful smile on her face as she watched Rosie sleep.

"Something wrong, Pearl?" Steven asked as he knelt back down beside the carrier. Pearl finally tore her eyes up from the infant, and locked them with Steven's. She parted her lips to say something, then closed them again, taking another look at Rosie.

"Nothing is wrong," she said finally. "She just..." she trailed off, unsure of what to say. "She..."

"I know," Steven said gently, and he reached out and placed his hand on top of Pearl's. "She would have _adored_ her, right?" Pearl smiled despite herself, letting out a sad chuckle.

"Oh, she absolutely would have," Pearl said in a near whisper. She bent down towards the carrier, moving the handle aside, and laid a chaste kiss to the babe's forehead. Rosie squirmed just a bit before settling back down and continuing to sleep. Suddenly, hands were on her shoulders - Amethyst on her left, and Garnet on her right. She leaned back and placed her own hands on top of theirs, and the three of them gave one last look. The room settled into a peaceful silence, even Peridot settling down, her eyes drifting from the baby, to Steven and Connie, to the portrait above the door, and back again. Finally, it was Connie who broke the silence.

"We'll be back soon," she promised, placing a hand on Steven's shoulder. "We should really get home now, though." With that, Steven got back to his feet, repositioned the handle of the carrier, and picked it up effortlessly, holding it in the crook of his elbow. He picked up the large bag and the small bag as well, even against Connie's protests.

"Say bye-bye, Rosie," Steven said to the carrier. Rosie continued to snooze. Steven shrugged. "She'll get better manners soon." The Gems stood, following the couple to the door. Greg managed to squeeze out before everyone so he could go prep the car, followed closely by Lion, who sat at the foot of the stairs to watch.

The couple left to a chorus of byes as they descended the front stairs, Steven being careful to watch his step. Connie was the last to leave the beach house, after getting a crushing hug from each Gem in turn.

"You'll let us know if you need help, right?" Pearl asked, wiping at one eye with the palm of her hand. She had tried, but the tears had already started to fall. Connie grinned.

"Of course," she sighed, Peridot still holding her tight around the middle. Amethyst had bounded outside and was on the railing, waving and yelling down to the SUV.

"BYE, ROSIE!" she called into the night. "DON'T FORGET, I'M YOUR FAVORITE!"

" _WHAT?_ " Peridot cried, immediately releasing Connie and jumping onto the railing beside Amethyst. "THAT IS BLATANTLY UNTRUE, AND YOU KNOW IT!"

"Do me a favor and don't listen to Dot!" Amethyst called with a laugh as Peridot growled.

"SHE'S TOO LITTLE TO MAKE THESE SORTS OF OPINIONS, _AMETHYST_ \--"

"You barely knew what a baby _was_ before today, Peri--"

"I READ THAT BOOK FRONT TO BACK YESTERDAY--"

"You better get going before they start fighting even more," Garnet said, gently pushing Connie down the stairs. "Oi, knock it off, you'll wake Rosie up," she called to the others. Her attempts to placate Amethyst and Peridot fell on deaf ears, as Amethyst fell over into a heap of giggles and Peridot flailed at her uselessly. Lapis walked up behind them and knocked them in the backs of their heads.

"Neither of you will be the favorite if you keep this up--"

"Yeah, well, you're not even in the _running_ , Lazuli!"

"What _ever_ , Peridot."

"Bye," Connie said softly to Pearl and Garnet, who waved as she took the stairs two at a time. Steven was hanging out of the SUV's driver side window, watching the three fighting Gems in the corner with great interest. Pearl strung her arms around Garnet's elbow as they watched Connie open the trunk of the SUV for Lion, and then climb into the back herself, giving one final wave before closing the door. Steven flashed the headlights before blowing kisses to each Gem individually, then rolled up the window and drove away into the darkness.

Pearl reached out, her hand open, and closed her fist around the imaginary kiss, drawing her hand to her chest. The excited tension that had vibrated throughout her form earlier that day had finally given way to an uneasy sort of comfort, and she leaned against Garnet's sturdy side for support.

"Oh, I'm suddenly _exhausted_ ," she mumbled, her fist still closed tight and pressed against her, closing her eyes. Garnet chuckled.

"I hope you still have energy after six thousand years of existence and two Gem Wars," Garnet replied. "You're going to need it."

"Why?" Pearl asked accusingly, opening one eye up at Garnet. "What did you see?" In her peripheral, she saw that Lapis was now hovering above Amethyst and Peridot, who were still arguing, with Amethyst hanging from the railing and swinging her legs in an attempt to kick Peridot off.

Garnet just smiled.

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this fic in my head fo a few days now and just had to get it out. I originally had something about roses as the title, but then it kept changing and shifting until I landed on.. whatever this is.
> 
> This is my first fic for Steven Universe, and my first fanfic in three years! My headcanon indicates that once Lapis has her redemption, she and Peridot will *officially* be Crystal Gems (stars and all) and get places in the temple. I'm also a huge sucker for all the Crystal Gems acting like one big sappy family (so, you know, the show, basically.) All and any comments are appreciated!


End file.
